Sweet Justice
by Dragonangelx003
Summary: EWE- The Malfoy family is stripped of their power and money instead of being doomed to Azkaban. How will Draco deal with the change and who will help him along? HG/DM
1. Chapter 1

To My Fans:

Many of you have read and enjoyed my popular one-shot turned dead-end-story, Life Experience and begged me not to scrap it. I will probably still knock it down to the one-shot it was intended to be but not without leaving you with something in return. This is the first chapter in a new story, "Sweet Justice." It takes some qualities from L.E while adding a few things I thought it was lacking.

Rated for future chapters, I promise. -^_^-

Chapter 1

Draco's eyes were focused on the black marble at his feet as Kingsley Shacklebolt read the charges before the Wizengamot. "Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy, you are charged with being Death Eaters and assisting the dark wizard Voldemort in multiple accounts of assault, murder, torture, kidnapping, arson, destruction of property, theft..." He turned the page. "..and the list goes on. Unless you have any evidence or witnesses to counter these charges we are ready to make our decision. Do you, Lucius?" The patriarch's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. "Narcissa?" Her lower lip quivered as she shook her head. "Draco?"

Looking up at his potential executioner, he took a deep breath before speaking. "No, I do not."

Expression unchanging, Kingsley lay the paperwork before him and addressed the audience, which was mostly comprised of members of the Order, Ministry officials, and family members of Voldemort's victims. "Does anyone in the audience have anything to say in the Malfoy's defense?"

There was a shuffling in the audience before a familiar voice broke the silence. "I do."

Draco's eyes went wide. '_No fucking way,'_ he thought. Turning around he saw none other than Harry Potter standing up in a sea of shocked and confused faces.

Kingsley, looking surprised himself, waved Harry down from the crowd to approach the podium. "This is quite a surprise Mr. Potter. Of all people I would think you would want to condemn all Death Eaters to Azkaban."

Harry nodded. "Normally you would be right. However," He turned to Narcissa, "Mrs. Malfoy lied to Voldemort's face, saying I was dead when she knew I wasn't. She loved her son enough to risk her life lying to someone extremely powerful in Legilimency. I for one can appreciate that." He turned towards the young Malfoy. "Draco," It felt odd calling him by his first name. "is one of the biggest gits I know, but I think he was held under Voldemort's authority mostly through fear that his family would be killed or harmed. That, and I don't think he has the spine to be a true Death Eater." Draco didn't know weather to take that as an insult or a compliment. Harry turned towards the icy stare of Lucius. "_Him_, on the other hand, I find no redeeming qualities, if anyone deserves Azkaban, its him." Narcissa looked teary eyed at her husband who expressed no change in emotion. "But I think there is something that Lucius values more than his freedom." Kingsley raised an eyebrow in interest. "His status, his money, and his power."

There was a moment of silence before Kingsley asked. "Is that all, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, Minister."

"Then you may return to your seat."

As Harry made his way back to the audience, Kingsley asked again. "Does anyone else have anything to say?" The room remained silent. "Then please excuse us whilst the Wizengamot discuss the fate of the Malfoy family." With a wave of his want a cloudy, gray, shield formed around the Minister and other members of the court, obscuring their discussion. As they waited the audience spoke amongst themselves in hushed tones as the three blondes remained silent.

After what seemed like an eternity, the shield fell away and the audience once again became silent. Draco swallowed hard as the Minister spoke. "Due to recent statements of character for the Malfoy family, we, the court, have voted against sentencing them to Azkaban." Draco's heart pounded in his chest as the audience roared in disagreement. He wasn't going to be incarcerated? When Kingsley raised a hand for silence, the hall fell quiet. "However, they will not go without punishment. Draco Malfoy, please approach the podium." Draco held his breath and stepped forward. "Since you were only recently brought among the Death Eater ranks and, to our knowledge, have committed less serious crimes than others," He glanced at Lucius. "You will enter a probationary period of five years. During which you will be forbidden to use a wand along with other magical objects or potions that will be listed for you in writing. Do you understand?"

That was it? His sentencing went from life in Azkaban to probation? He knew Potter was in the new Ministers favor, but he didn't realize his words held that much sway. "Yes, Minister. I understand."

Kingsley gestured for him to step back. "Narcissa Malfoy, please approach the podium." Narcissa stepped forward. "Because of your demonstration of love for your son and the, if unintentional, assistance in keeping Mr. Potter alive in the face of mortal danger, you will enter a probationary term of twenty-five years with the same conditions as your son. Do you understand?" Her eyes welled up with relief as she nodded. Kingsley gestured her back as he called, "Lucius Malfoy, please approach the podium."

Lucius did not move. Kingsley spoke louder.

"Lucius, approach the podium." Draco looked at his father quizzically. Where his mothers face was plastered with relief Lucius looked exceedingly annoyed, almost angry.

With a wave of the Ministers wand Lucius was yanked forward by invisible shackles around his wrists. When he stood before Kingsley he sneered up at him, not saying a word. "Lucius Malfoy, it would do me no greater pleasure than to know you were rotting in a cell, or better yet, condemn you to death. However, Mr. Potter is right, that is far too good a punishment for you. Especially since you've displayed the ability to escape from Azkaban in the past. Therefore I am sentencing you to a lifetime of probation."

If looks could kill, Kingsley would have burst into flames from the glare Lucius was giving him.

"In addition, I am relinquishing you of any command you have on house elves and you are in no way to willingly handle any magic of any kind for the remainder of your days with the exception of owl use. You will, in almost every aspect, become what you hate most. A muggle." He paused letting the words sink in. "Do you understand?" Lucius didn't say a word. "I think I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Kingsley said, gesturing him to join his family in the center of the room.

Draco watched his father walk back to him and his mother, averting his eyes from the both of them as if his punishment were their fault. His mother placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly only to have Lucius shrug it off. The three of them faced the podium again when the Minister continued.

"Lastly, due to the immense damage and sadness caused by He-Who-Must... Voldemort and his followers," The Minister corrected himself. "The Malfoy family will be stripped of 94% of their estate..." He paused as an audible gasp welled up in the hall. "...to be given to the families of victims during Voldemort's reign as well as to pay for the medical needs of those injured and still living. The remaining six percent will be divided up evenly among Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius to cover living expenses until they find themselves_ honest_ jobs." He said, emphasizing the word 'honest.' Picking up his gavel he finalized his decree with a bang.

The hall erupted with a roar of applause as Draco looked up at his parents. If loseing his family's status, money, and power effected Draco, he couldn't imagine what was going through his parents minds. However, he was still a free man and that held more influence in his mind than anything at the moment.

As they were led out of the uproarious court room, Draco glanced into the audience where he caught eyes with Harry who stood silently amongst the crowd. Before he disappeared through the doorway, the young Malfoy gave The Chosen One a curt nod of thanks.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Well there you have it. As some of you who read Life Experience notice, I changed the conditions of the probation and added a few things I felt would be appropriate.

More to come soon!

Tell me what you think. Reviews = Love.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

One month had passed since the sentencing and the discretionary period given by the Ministry was almost up. With the time they were given they had to pack their possessions (which was quite a task with no magic), find a place to live, and if possible, line up a job. Draco had discussed his finances with his mother, since his father had all but stopped speaking to them, and had decided to spend over half of his money on purchasing an apartment in London. If there was one thing he didn't want to worry about, it was rent.

Narcissa had opted to rent a penthouse not far from where Draco was staying for the time. Perhaps she would have purchased another home with her husband, but it was difficult to discuss finances when your partner gives you the cold shoulder. She still grasped hope that her husband would come out of his desolation, but in the last few frantic days of packing she was losing her patience with him. While she and Draco, along with the remaining house elf, moved a mansion's full of furniture into storage and moving trucks Lucius remained in his study, emerging only for the essentials.

The final moving truck was due to arrive in about an hour, so while Narcissa scoured the house, making sure that all the last minute heirlooms were well padded and safe, Draco sat in his bedroom for the last time. Sighing, he lay back on his bed, staring at the oxidized copper ceiling. It almost didn't seem like his room without his possessions in it. His gray walls once had posters, photos, and a Slytherin tapestry covering them, but they were now bare. The only evidence of them now was a stray tack or nail. In his corner was propped his Nimbus 2001 broom, his essential clothes, and a bag of toiletries. That and his lone mattress on the floor was all that remained. Closing his eyes he tried to imagine his room the way it once was.

His daydream was broken when he heard muffled yelling emanating from the living room.

It was his mothers voice that he was first able to make out as he rushed down the stairs. "...absolutely had it with you! I'm not too fond of the verdict either, but we're together and we still have our freedom! I am trying to make the best of it and you are making things very difficult!"

"If you had not lied to the Dark Lord in the first place then Potter would be dead and He would still be alive and reining over the mud-bloods and blood traitors, instead of us having to loose everything to line their pockets!"

"We would have lost everything if we were in Azkaban anyway, what is the difference?"

"It would have been divided up among out kin! Not given to the filthy masses. I would have rather died then be forced into false charity. Potter vouching for us at the trial was the worst thing that could have happened." Lucius just now noticed that Draco had entered the room. "You agree with me, don't you Son?"

Draco looked from his father to his mother and back again before responding. "Um...Father, I actually agree with Mother. I am not happy about loosing our estate and power, but we have our freedom and-" His words were cut off when Lucius backhanded him across the face. Hard. Narcissa gasped.

"How could you say that, you little shit! Have you learned nothing from how I raised you?" Lucius spat. "How could you agree with this worthless bitch!?" He said, pointing at Narcissa.

Draco stepped toward his father. "Don't you call my mother a worthless bitch. You would be rotting in prison if it weren't for her."

"Don't you give me cheek!" Lucius made to strike him again, but backed away at the last instant, missing the blow by a breath. Advancing on his son, he was intercepted by Narcissa.

"Stop it!" She yelled, putting a hand on her husbands chest.

His target blocked, Lucius vented on her. With a cry, she fell to the ground at the blow.

Draco saw red. His heart pounded in his ears as he ran towards his father who was approaching Narcissa for a second strike. Before Draco was aware of what he was doing his fist was making contact with his fathers jaw. Lucius was pulled off the ground for several feet before he collided with the back of a padded bookshelf and fell to the floor, dazed.

Narcissa was being helped to her feet when Lucius regained his senses. Wincing with pain, he spat a tooth into his palm. "You." He hissed as he approached. "How dare you. You disgrace the Malfoy name."

"I think you accomplished that long before I did, Father." Said Draco with the strongest voice he had ever used against Lucius. "Up until recently I thought you had taught me how to be a man, but all you've taught me is how to be high-and-mighty, cruel, pretentious prick."

Lucius was now seething with almost tangible anger. "Get out. Get out of my house! Both of you!"

Draco's chest tightened, but his resolve held. "I would be glad to leave, but it is _not_ your house. Not anymore."

Fuming, Lucius turned and stormed into his study, slamming the door behind him. Turning to his mother Draco said, "Mum, go to your apartment. I'll meet you there after bringing the last of my things to my place." His mother was about to object when he cut her off. "The movers know what they're doing, they'll take care of the rest of it. Father will figure out what he will do on his own. Go on."

Narcissa looked as if she was fighting off tears as she turned away, grabbing her purse and broom as she went. When Draco was sure she was gone he directed his attention to his fathers study. Opening the door without permission he found Lucius sitting at his desk, a full glass of firewhisky in his hand. "I'm leaving, you know where to find us when you feel like coming to your senses." He said before slamming the door once again. Leaving a disturbed Lucius behind him.

Trudging up to his room he strapped his last minute bags to his broom, hoped on, and launched himself off his balcony.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Several hours later, after checking on his mother and stocking his new fridge with food, Draco's stomach started to growl. It was then that he realized, in all his seventeen years on the planet he had never once cooked a meal. Wondering if he would be permitted to borrow his mothers house elf once in a while, he pulled out a granny smith apple and took a bite of it instead. As he browsed the other contents of his fridge, there was a knock on the door.

Imagine his surprise when he found Lucius standing on the other side. His father was less inebriated than he imagined he would after seeing him hold such a full glass of firewhisky. Normally if he started drinking a bottle, he finished it. Especially when mad. Instead, his father looked years older. His eyes seemed puffy and irritated as if he was crying, his jaw already starting to bruise from where Draco had punched him, and his normal haughty stance was hunched and humble. Except in the presence of the Dark Lord, Draco had never seen his father seem so modest.

Standing to the side of the doorway, Draco made room for his father to enter.

Lucius didn't move.

"Yes, Father?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"I..." Lucius swallowed hard. "...wanted to apologize for how I've been behaving lately." Draco's mouth opened slightly in shock. His father had never apologized to him for anything. "I've been a bastard to you and your mother and it took loosing a tooth to realize it." He said rubbing his jaw.

"Do you want to come in?" Draco asked.

"No, thank you. I need to see your mother soon, too. I can't let this sit." He looked into his sons gray eyes and cracked a smile. "I'm actually proud of you, contrary to what I said earlier. It took a lot of nerve to stand up to me the way that you did. You have more spine than Potter or I gave you credit for. You've really grown into a man." He said, smiling weakly.

Draco wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't until Lucius crossed the threshold and embraced his son in a hug did Draco realized that his father was trembling. "Father, what's wrong?" He said, awkwardly hugging his father back.

"Nothing, nothing I'm fine." He said backing away, his voice cracking. "I need to go see your mother before it gets too late."

Draco could never remember his father in this condition. How hard had he really hit him? "Could you do me a favor, Draco?" Lucius asked as he turned to leave.

"What is it?"

"Don't be as narrow minded as I am. I've missed a lot of life's opportunities because of my pride."

Draco swallowed hard. "I think I can do that."

"Good man." Said Lucius as he turned and vanished into the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A loud crack resounded in Draco's room and a small hand was tugging at his arm before he was even fully awake. The sound of a squeaky, urgent voice pulled him the rest of the way into consciousness. "Master Draco! Master Draco wake up, I need to take you to your mother! Something's happened to Master Lucius!"

Draco was already out of bed and into a pair of jeans before the words had fully processed. Throwing on a shirt and grabbing his shoes he took the small house elf's hand in his. "Take me."

With another loud crack Draco felt the familiar pull of apperation and in one dizzying instant, he was in his mothers kitchen. His mother sobbing in his arms before he fully regained his balance. "Mum what happened?" He asked looking into her tear streaked face.

"L...Lucius." She sobbed, glancing into the living room.

Pulling his mother with him, Draco walked tentatively into the lit room. Inside he found several healers in white robes surrounding his father where he appeared to have collapsed. His face was pale, his eyes open, staring at nothing. His mother sobbed harder into his shirt when one of the doctors stood up and sighed heavily. When he looked into Draco's gray eyes and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' his heart fell into the pit of his stomach.

Lucius Malfoy was dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reviews = Love


	3. Chapter 3

***Depressing start to a pairing fic, I know, but in the words of Tyler Durden "Its only after you've lost everything, that you're free to do anything." One of my favorite quotes. I've yet to hear another as true. -^_^-

Thanks for the reviews, keep an eyeball out for those homonyms and typos! You find 'em I'll fix 'em!

Chapter 3

Draco felt emotionally numb as the graveyard staff began covering the coffin with soil.

After his father was pronounced dead, Ministry officials investigated to make sure there was no foul play. Since he had passed so quickly after the sentencing they wanted to make sure he wasn't murdered by someone out for revenge, or perhaps even a family member. How absurd, Draco thought.

In the end it was discovered that Lucius had congestive heart failure. Which, according to his doctor (who Lucius had paid to keep it secret) would have killed him shortly after he would have been sent to Azkaban, maintaining his pride and status as a renowned Dead Eater. No wonder he seemed to prefer the idea of being locked away, he wouldn't have been there long.

The probation sentence may have actually sped up his demise. But Draco had decided to stop pointing fingers and thinking 'what-if?' It hadn't fixed anything in the past, and it wasn't going to start now.

The turnout at Lucius' funeral was pathetic. Understandably, most of his father's associates and friends were either on the run from the Ministry, in Azkaban, or dead. Still, Draco would have liked to see more people paying their respects to such an established wizard, despite the recent charges. Scanning the crowd he recognized some faces, mostly his fathers co-workers, a few Slytherins paying their respects for Draco's sake, including Blaise whom he nodded a thanks to, and another face he had not seen since he was very young.

His aunt, Andromeda.

His mother had disowned Andromeda as her sister before Draco was born when she married the muggle-born, Ted Tonks. He had only seen her tentatively at social gatherings and some well hidden photos in the attic. Seeing someone so sharply contrasted to his aunt Bellatrix was odd to say the least. Where his mother and Bellatrix had sharp features, Andromeda was softer, with a more down to Earth air to her.

Crying into her sisters brown hair, Narcissa seemed to have all but forgotten the silly feud instated so many years ago. With her free arm Andromeda hugged her sister tightly, silently reassuring everything was going to be alright, holding a bundle close to her chest with the other arm. If anyone could relate with his mother, it was her.

During the trials, Draco had overheard that his aunt had lost not only her husband, but daughter as well during the final days of the war, not to mention countless friends. He couldn't imagine how she could bare it. How she found the strength to comfort someone who use to hate her (after loosing so many loved ones of her own) took a strength Draco could barely contemplate. He had lost Crabbe and his father, but compared to her his loss seemed almost minimal.

As he approached the two of them, Draco debated what he should say. Under good circumstances talking to an estranged relative would be awkward at best, but this was... What was that?

In his aunts lap, the bundle she was holding moved, a shock of turquoise hair peeking out from around the blanket. Was that a baby?

Noticing the quizzical look on her nephews face, Andromeda turned to him and smiled weekly. "Hello, Draco. You've grown up quite a bit since I last saw you. You're the spitting image of your father when he was your age." A smile tugged at Draco's lips at the complement. Holding up the bundle Andromeda pulled the blanket back showing the round face of an infant, now dark blue hair dusting the top of his head. "Draco, I'd like you to meet your cousin, Teddy."

He had another cousin? He had known about Nymphadora, but nobody had told him that she had a baby. "He's...cute." He said awkwardly for lack of anything else to say.

"Here." She said, handing the bundle to Draco. "Get to know him for a moment, we'll have plenty of time to talk later."

Draco was about to tell her that he had NEVER held an infant before, but when she used her now-free arms to give his mother a tight hug as she cried, he lost his words. Taking a few steps away from the grieving sisters he looked down into his cousins yellow eyes, remembering where he had seen that color before. "So you're Professor Lupin's kid, huh?" He said as the baby yawned, his hair turning a deep purple. "Does that change with your mood or something?"

"Now there is a scene I would never have imagined." Said Blaise, lightening the mood as he approached.

"Shut it, Zabini." Draco said halfheartedly to his fellow Slytherin. "He's my cousin."

Looking down on the purple-haired infant Blaise nodded. "A Metamorphmagus, you're aunt is going to have her hands full with that one. Listen, joking aside, how about you let me treat you to a drink, or twenty. You look like you could use it."

Draco looked back at his mother and aunt before turning back to Blaise. "In a little bit. I want to make sure Mum's alright. I'm pretty sure my aunts going to keep an eye on her for a while, but I want to make sure. Wait around for a bit, would you?"

Blaise nodded, looking back down to Teddy. "Its still so bizarre to see you holding a baby." He laughed.

A small smile crept to Draco's face. "Don't get used to it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning Draco awoke with a massive hangover and a vibrating weight on his chest. Cracking an eye he groaned as the brightly lit living room flooded his senses. When his vision adjusted he realized that he was face to face with a massive, smash-faced, orange cat curled up on his chest. His angrily amber eyes glared back at him as if it was Draco's fault for occupying his usual spot on the sofa. Pushing the cat aside, it growled before sliding to the floor and walking down the hallway.

Realizing he was in a strange room after a night of blacking out he did the first thing anyone in his circumstance does; Am I still clothed? Check. Do I still have my wallet with all its contents? Check. Have I slept with anyone I didn't intend to? Judging from the small couch he was splayed on, he figured that was a check as well.

What the fuck had happened last night? Thinking to himself, Draco tried to reconstruct the evening. He had gone to the Leaky Cauldron with Blaise and ordered a pitcher of beer and a line of firewhisky shots. He remembered doing his shots, finishing the pitcher, ordering another one, becoming mildly emotional about the funeral, ordering another shot... some girl was hitting on Blaise...he didn't remember leaving the pub... He remembered being knocked to the ground, but not by who... feeling his sore ribs he recalled being kicked... a flash of red light and...the rest was such a blur.

Sitting up he rubbed his stiff neck before he realized that his parts of his shirt were stained with dried blood. Mostly the middle of his chest and his right elbow. Checking himself for injuries he only found his ribs on his right side to be tender, his nose wasn't broken, his elbow wasn't cut, and other than the massive headache he seemed overall intact.

Standing up to dust the orange cat hair off his shirt the smell of fresh brewed coffee flooded his nose. Hearing the clatter of dishes Draco's heart hammered with the realization that whomever this apartment belonged to, they were in the kitchen.

Walking down the hallway he had to step around the cat, its tail swishing back and forth as it glared at him. He wasn't sure who had put him up for the night, but he felt that they deserved his thanks. As he rounded the corner he was greeted with the back view of a woman pouring herself a cup of coffee. She was barefoot with a teal sleep-shorts and tank top outfit that did little to hide the curves beneath the fabric. Her long, chestnut hair was tied back in a loose ponytail which trailed halfway down her back. His mood shifted when he noticed she had a wand tucked into the tie holding her hair back. Putting on his most charming smile he subconsciously tried to fix his platinum hair before he said, "Thank you, for putting me up for the night."

His smile vanished when she turned around, stirring her coffee as she looked up at him with brown eyes, Hermione smirked inwardly at his reaction. She had expected as much.

"Malfoy." She addressed him stoically as Crookshanks rubbed against her calf.

"Granger!?" He blurted. She was quite possibly, the last person he would expect to see. When she handed him a small glass of fizzy looking water he asked. "Why am I in your apartment?"

She rolled her eyes. "Drink that and I'll tell you all about it." She said as the toaster popped her breakfast up behind her.

Smelling it he asked, "This isn't poison is it?"

She spoke as she spread creme cheese on her toast. "If I wanted you dead I would have left you where I found you last night. Its tonic to take your hangover away, I'm sure your mother has enough to deal with without dealing with a cranky son."

Downing it in one shot, he found it didn't taste half bad, the bubbles already clearing his head. "What do you mean 'where you found me.' What happened?"

She took a bite of her toast and leaned back onto her counter. "Judging from the Daily Prophets mention of your fathers funeral, I would imagine you had a couple drinks to unwind. Am I right?" Draco nodded. "I had just gotten off from work when I noticed a rough looking couple of guys venting their anger on the 'Death Eater bastard' as they so called you as they were kicking your ribs in."

That made sense. Draco thought to himself. Blaise must have gone home with whatever girl was hitting on him, leaving him to his own devices to get home. Some friend. Glancing down at his snake and skull tattoo he made it his next priority to get rid of it somehow.

"Not that I'm against you getting whats coming to you, but I dislike fights being one-sided. If you were coherent enough to fight back it would have been different. So I stunned them and apperated you back here to sober up. You had a gashed elbow, broken nose, and two broken ribs. You're lucky I know a few healing spells." She glanced at his blood stained shirt. "Woops, forgot about that." She said pulling her wand out of her hair tie and pointing it at him. "_Scourjify."_

As the blood and cat hair vanished Draco mumbled a thanks.

Sighing to herself, Hermione pulled out a large frying pan. "I suppose it would be rude of me to make my own breakfast and not offer you any. Do you like blueberry pancakes, because that's what I'm making."

The tonic already done away with his hangover, Draco realized that it had also returned his appetite for the first time since his fathers death. He was famished. Faking an annoyed look, he pulled up a chair to the table and crossed his arms. "Well if you're making it anyway I suppose I'll stay."

Never cooking for himself, Draco tried his best to watch how high the flame was under the pan, what ingredients she used, how she stirred it, and found himself realizing that she looked a lot like she did in potions class. Maybe cooking wasn't as hard as he thought it was.

After a few silent moments of cooking, Hermione placed two plates of pancakes on the table before retrieving a cup of syrup from the microwave an a french press of coffee. "Milk or sugar before I sit down?"

It took Draco a moment before he realized she had asked him how he liked his coffee. "Hrm? Oh, no. Black's fine." After a few bites of the best pancakes he had ever had, Hermione broke the silence.

"So how's Narcissa fairing?" She asked as she blew on her hot coffee.

Draco swallowed before speaking. "To what? Father's death or probation?"

"Both."

"Probation she seems to be taking to well enough. She was just happy to not be in prison and with her family...what's left of it anyway. She has one house elf left," Hermione twitched slightly. "so I suppose she doesn't have to worry about cooking or cleaning. Father, on the other hand, meant a great deal to her. I'm not sure how she's going to get by without him." He didn't want to talk much about recent events. Changing the subject, he asked her. "So, Granger, where's Weasley? I hear you two are an item now."

Her face sank as she put down her fork. "Ron and I have decided to remain just friends for a while. The Kenmare Kestrels offered him a position as keeper just days after Voldemort's fall. They said they would 'love one of the Golden Trio amongst their ranks.'" She said in a bitter voice. "So he's constantly to and fro from Ireland. It would be too difficult to maintain a long distance relationship." Laughing halfheartedly she continued. "Not to mention I don't want to spoil his fun from all the Quidditch groupies."

Draco grimaced. The though of Weasley and groupies in the same room almost turned his appetite. "You mentioned you were leaving work when you found me. Where do you work?"

"At Flourish and Blotts, I'm the assistant manager."

"It would figure, you being at a place where you can be surrounded by books AND tell people what to do. It suits you." He said in a half-complement-half-insult.

Looking at her watch, Hermione finished off the last few bites of her pancakes before downing her coffee. "Speaking of which, I need to get to work soon, we're short staffed. You're mother's probably worried about you too."

Draco finished his plate, taking the hint to be on his way.

A few moments later, a more appropriately dressed Hermione and a rather shaggy looking Draco stood on her front porch as she locked the door behind her. "Can you make your way home from here?" She asked him.

"I think I can manage." He said, realizing that he was only about a kilometer from his apartment. "Thanks again. It seems I owe the Golden Trio more than one life-debt now."

Hermione actually smiled. "I wouldn't worry about the life-debt, but you do owe me a new rosebush. You puked all over that one when we apperated here." She said pointing to a sadly withered yellow rosebush at the foot of her stairs. "I'm only happy I chose not to appear in my living room."

Cringing, Draco made a mental note to lay off firewhisky for a while. "Eehh, sorry. I'll be sure to get you a new one."

"Good." She said, pulling out her wand. "See you around then, Malfoy."

"See you, Granger." He said as she apperated away with a loud crack.

It wasn't until she was gone did Draco realize that in the entire time they spoke, he never once thought of the word 'Mudblood.'

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Yay, Hermione joins the fun. Reviews = Love


	4. Chapter 4

*** Woo, 2nd chapter written today. Make sure you read chapter 3! I posted two at once.

Chapter 4

He neglected to mention the drunken assault to his mother when he arrived at her penthouse later that day. When she hugged him, however, he couldn't hide the hitch in his breath as she pressed on his mended ribs. "It's alright Mum." He reassured her when she looked at him concerned. "I just fell off the bar stool, that's all."

Believing his lie, she invited him in. Most of the day they played 'pass the infant' as his aunt and mother caught up on old times and missed opportunities. As he watched the sisters laugh Draco was beginning to see what his father meant by missing out on things due to his pride. If his aunt wasn't exiled from the family for marrying a muggle-born, he would have grown up with a loving aunt, and an older cousin who he could get into all sorts of mischief with. His mother would have had a sister, other than only the deranged Bellatrix. As he held Teddy he thought that maybe he could have even been the little ones Godfather, instead of Wonder Boy.

Draco chastised himself. He was thinking in 'what-if's again.

That night after dinner Draco wondered to himself for the first time how much work must go into each meal his family ate. Watching Granger make pancakes looked relatively simple, but the roast, potatoes, gravy, green beans, sauteed mushrooms, and fresh sour cream could not have been easy even with magic. Especially for one house elf to do all by herself.

Rosie, the elf, came out of the kitchen floating an blueberry pie in front of her. After she placed it on the table she turned to leave without a word.

Draco leaned down to her. "Rosie." He whispered, as not to interrupt the discussion.

"Yes, Master Malfoy?" She asked in a squeaky voice.

"Dinner was great, thank you."

The instant the words exited his mouth it looked as if someone had smacked Rosie. Her eyes welled up with tears in surprise as her jaw dropped open slightly. "Y...Your're welcome! Master Malfoy!" She said bowing repeatedly. "Is there anything else I could get for you?"

"No, that's fine."

Bowing deeply she backed away, wiping tears out of her eyes as she left.

Draco raised his eyebrows. He wasn't expecting such a volatile reaction to a simple complement.

"Did you hear me, Sweetheart?" His mothers voice emanated from the other side of the table.

"Hrm? Sorry, Mum. What did you say?"

Narcissa looked at her sister and back to her son. "We've been talking and think it would be a good idea for me to move in with Andromeda. After your fathers death I...Well two women can raise a baby better than one." She said, hiding the choke in her voice.

Draco sat up straighter in his chair. "Oh, that's... a logical idea." He said awkwardly. At that moment it struck him that, other than at Hogwarts, he had never spent any prolonged period of time away from his mother or father. With his father gone and his mother living in the country he would be on his own. Really on his own.

"I know that look." Narcissa said with a sad smile. "Don't think I'm cutting the cord entirely. I'll be expecting a minimum of a weekly visit. Side along apperation is allowed so there's no excuse for you not to show if I send Rosie to fetch you." She sipped her tea with a matter-of-fact smirk.

"Draco." Andromeda said softly. "It has been a trying year and I need your mother's company as much as she needs mine. The house has been..." She swallowed hard. "...a bit empty as of late."

"No, I understand." Draco said, trying to process it all. Putting on his best, fake, Malfoy smile he joked. "So long as you don't leave me to change diapers while you two have all the fun, I'm fine with it."

Both sisters smiled. Somewhere in the background, Teddy gurgled in agreement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This time the move went absurdly fast. Now that Andromeda was able to help, she used a shrinking spell on nearly everything in the suite, packing it all into an oversized purse before Rosie did a last minute clean up.

Giving Draco another rib-bruising hug, Narcissa dabbed tears out of her eyes before apperating away with her sister and nephew. Rosie was the last to go, bowing deeply to him before vanishing with a crack.

Sighing heavily, Draco was now in London alone. Yes, he would visit his mother once a week, but other than the odd visit from Blaise (whom he was still mad at for abandoning him for a cheap shag), he was on his own.

On his way home he swung by a muggle bookstore to purchase a cookbook. If making his own food looked like the same process as potion brewing, maybe he could treat it as such.

Lining up all the ingredients on his counter he reviewed the instructions for one of the simplest recipes he could find. An omelet. Four ingredients, estimated time of cooking five minutes. How hard could it be?

A half hour later he was tossing the smoldering frying pan in the sink as his apartment filled with smoke. The cookbook had been little to no help at all. He hadn't counted on the fact that he couldn't see the flame on an electric stove top. He also didn't know what a 'pat' of butter was, nor what 'whisk', 'saute', or 'sear' meant.

Fanning out his apartment as the smoke alarm blared he made a note to himself to buy a food term dictionary as well. When the screeching stopped he returned to his kitchen to scrub out the pan. When he began to scrape off the non-stick surface with the steel wool he huffed in frustration before tossing the whole abomination in the trash can. He was eating out today.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stomach satisfied for now he made his way down the winding streets of London, browsing the windows of muggle shops, seeing items that were mostly alien to him. An electronics store kept Draco transfixed for over an hour. Inside were phones, televisions, video games, movie players, and a whole multitude of things that would cease to function within ten miles of Hogwarts. At some point a sales woman came up and tried to talk him into purchasing a flat screen television, talking to him about pixels and resolution. She may as well been speaking another language.

Escaping the sales pitch he exited the store and made his way further down the street, passing a motorcycle repair shop that perked his interest, along with a tattoo shop adjacent to it. Looking down at his dark mark, he decided to enter and see what he could do about getting it removed.

The shop seemed slow despite the mid-day hustle outside. Approaching the front counter Draco was greeted with an exotic looking and thoroughly tattooed woman. "Afternoon, Sugar. What can I do for you?" She said, smiling with her pierced lip.

Pulling up his sleeve Draco showed her the dark mark. "What would it take to get this removed?"

Taking a closer look at the tattoo she looked back up at Draco wide eyed. Turning around she made sure her co-workers were out of earshot before she leaned forward and whispered. "It's not possible to remove dark magic like that here, and how are you not in Azkaban?"

Shocked that she knew what it was he glanced at her arms too, finding no sign of the mark. "How do you know about it?" He whispered.

The woman looked as if she considered her words carefully before answering. "Maybe I know someone in the Wizarding community. She warned me about people with that mark."

Draco pulled his sleeve down. "She was right to, but I want to be rid of it. I want no more affiliation with Death Eaters than you do."

She must have seen the sincerity in his eyes because she relaxed almost immediately. "Well I'm sorry, Sugar, but even if that was a regular tattoo it would take over a year to slowly burn it off bit by bit. It's not cheap and its more painful then getting it in the first place. I don't think you'll ever be rid of something like _that_ though."

"I was afraid of that."

Sighing to himself, he thanked her and turned to leave, but her hand on his forearm stopped him. "Hold on a moment. If you can't get rid of it, maybe we can hide it for you."

That perked his interest. "What do I have to do?"

Smiling wickedly she said. "You need to sit perfectly still for six or more hours."

Moments later he was prepped and leaning forward over the back of a chair, his left arm held up in front of an artist prepping his angrily buzzing 'gun.'

To be honest, he was nervous. Granted getting the dark mark in the first place hurt like hell, but it was quite instant. Only taking the Dark Lord a touch of his want to make it appear. From what he was told about the muggle process, it would take several painful hours. He considered going to a wizarding body art shop, but he feared he would be thrown out for even walking in the door with a dark mark.

The artist who was going to tattoo him was a beefy fellow with a shaven head and a rather large metal ring through the center of his nose. That combined with the tattoos covering nearly all his body from the jaw down gave him an intimidating appearance to say the least. It surprised Draco to find that the man seemed rather laid back as he chatted small talk while he drew swirling intricate designs from his shoulder to his wrist. "So you just moved to London?"

"Yeah." Draco said, participating in the discussion. "I use to live up in Wiltshire."

The artist whistled. "That's rich ville. What are you doing here?"

Draco thought of something quick. "Just... making some changes in my life lately. This is a fresh start."

Doing some last minute detail work the artist finally pulled the marker away and leaned back to get a better look at his work. "Will this design do for ya?" He said, pointing to the mirror mounted on the wall. Holding his arm to the reflection he had to admire the mans work. Mostly in orange was the outline of several skinny, snake like dragons each holding a skull in its claws. "That'll all be black outline and we'll fill them in whatever color you want later." He reassured him.

"This skull right here." Draco pointed to one on his shoulder muscle. "Can we make this one a sni-... a gold orb with wings of its own?"

The artist shrugged. "Sure, you're the customer." He said making adjustments with his marker. "What does it symbolize?"

Draco smiled. "It's an inside joke among friends." Which was true in its own way. If he could get back on the broom to play Quidditch again, he would love it.

Finishing touches done, Draco was instructed to lean forward and hold his arm perfectly still. "You're gonna feel a prick, but it'll fade in about ten minutes. Just try not to twitch. You know the drill."

Draco bit the inside of his cheek as the artist tested the petal of his gun before dipping the tip into black ink. "Here we go." He said as he held the skin on his arm tight. Rubbing it with petroleum jelly at the last instant he lay the needle to skin. At first it felt like a bug bite, but soon turned into a dull burn. Releasing the inside of his cheek Draco relaxed a bit, compared to nearly getting torn in half by_ Sectumsempra_, this wasn't so bad.

Ten minutes later, as promised the pain subsided to be replaced with a feeling that felt similar to someone scratching sunburn. Also, for some reason Draco felt mildly drunk as his mind swam with endorphins. In some bizarre way, he wanted more.

And more he most certainly got.

Seven hours later the tattoo was almost done, which was good because Draco had run out of endorphins about an hour ago. What was once a dull, addictive burn was white hot fire as the green shading was being touched up on the scales. Several other customers had come and gone but he paid him no mind as he buried his face into the padded back of the chair. As the door bells jingled the artist reassured him, "Hang in there, we're almost done." Draco nodded into the chair. He had been given the option of stopping and finishing it another day, but after his drunken ass being handed to him less than 48 hours ago, he just wanted it done and over with.

"Here's the book you ordered Tammi. I hope you enjoy it, Suicide Girls is a hard book to get from the states." Said a familiar voice from the counter. Slowly as not to move his arm, Draco lifted his head to see who it was. Sure enough, Hermione Granger was standing at the front counter handing a package to the tattooed girl. '_I know someone in the Wizarding community.' _Indeed, Draco thought.

Sure enough, the tattooed girl gestured toward him with a tilt of her head. "One of yours?"

Looking over the counter the brunette rolled her eyes. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Malfoy?"

"What, are you stalking me?" He asked, muffled by the chair.

"You wish." She said, leaning forward to get a better look at his new ink. He was surprised when she simply watched for a few moments, not saying anything.

"I can take a picture if you like."

She shrugged. "I'm just relishing watching you squirm." She said as the artist sprayed cold, green, rubbing alcohol all over the new design. Despite being alcohol, the cold liquid was surprisingly soothing as the whole arm was wiped off.

"Alright, tell me what you think." The artist (who Draco discovered was named Brophy during their hours of banter) stood up and stretched while he got up and looked in the mirror.

Thank the Gods his father wasn't still alive to see it. He'd have killed him.

Running from his shoulder to wrist was three long, snakelike dragons, their scales shaded with deep forest to bright emerald green. Each clawed hand holding a realistic looking skull, one holding a snitch. If you weren't looking for the dark mark, you would never know it was there. The only question now was how he was going to show his mother. "I love it."

"That green will brighten up when it heals more. C'mere, let me bandage you up so you and yer girl can be on your way."

He and Hermione spoke in unison to correct him.

"Oh she's not my girl. She's just a know-it-all pain from school."

"His girl? Oh no no no no no. He's an insufferable git!"

Looking up they glared at each other before bursting out in laughter.

After bidding their goodbyes to Brophy, Tammi and the other shop staff Draco and Hermione found themselves standing outside the shop's overhang in awkward silence.

Wrinkling her nose, Hermione looked at him. "Why do you smell like burnt eggs?"

Poking the bandage taped to his shoulder he muttered, "Probably because I burnt some eggs."

"Oh, so there IS something the renowned Draco Malfoy is bad at?" She mocked.

"So I can't cook!" He spat. "Not a big deal."

His growling stomach argued otherwise. He then noticed that Granger was carrying two large bags of groceries.

Noticing what he was eyeballing, she sighed before asking. "If you admit I'm better at it than you and do the dishes, would you like to learn how to make potato leek soup?"

He considered it for a long moment. (One) Granger was asking him back to her house to cook a meal for him. Awkward enough without (Two) him having to admit she was more skilled at something than him and (Three) have to clean up after the fact. He did owe her a lot after the other night and with his stomach growling in agreement, he shrugged in defeat. "Fine, but no gloating."

"Not a chance, Ink Cherry." She said, lightly smacking his bandaged arm before turning and walking towards her apartment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I had fun writing this one! Two chapters today! Yay, productiveness!

Reviews = Love


	5. Chapter 5

***A touch of sexual tension in this chapter...*sips rum 'n juice*

This is the longest chapter yet, get comfortable people.

Chapter 5

As he passed the wilted yellow rosebush at the entrance of her apartment he scolded himself for not getting her a new one yet. He also realized that this was the first time he would be entering her apartment under his own volition, instead of being carried drunkenly inside. The apartment had a different feel to it now that the sun had begun to set, golden light beaming in her front windows against her sanguine walls gave the area a warm feel despite the mild sense of disdain between the two occupants.

Walking into her kitchen without a word, Hermione placed the groceries on the counter and began to fill up her sink with cold water. Leaning against the frame of the door, Draco watched her expectantly for a moment before asking. "Sooooo, what do you want me to do?"

She considered a moment, unpacking the produce. "I've never taught someone how to cook before and I'm not exactly prepared, so um, I guess just observe for now and ask questions if you need to."

He shrugged before pulling up a stool to the breakfast bar. "Suit yourself."

After turning the faucet off, Hermione pulled out a large pot and placed it on the oven before rummaging through her fridge.

"Alright...first you want to melt a pat of butter with an equal amount of oil over medium heat. The oil helps the butter keep from burning." While the butter melted she turned to the cutting board where the leeks and potatoes were. "Then you want to cut the dark green parts off the leeks. They get kind of tough." She said, a bit more confidence to her voice. Chopping leeks longways she tossed them in the sink. "These get full of dirt when they're growing so you really want to rinse them out before you chop them up otherwise you'll wind up with mud in your food."

On she went, explaining every little detail and soon she sounded like she was teaching a class at Hogwarts. A cooking class, but a class none the less. Draco being the only student.

It wasn't long before she was placing a lid on the pot and said, "that's it!"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

She turned and opened the fridge. "Well for now, it takes about a half hour to cook before we can do any more. Would you like something to drink?"

"What do you have?" He asked rubbing a hand lightly over his bandages. The tattoo was mostly numb for the last hour, but now it was beginning to tingle.

"Water, milk, juice, Coke, white wine, cheap rum, aaaand what appears to be a milkshake I should have thrown out a week ago." She said pulling out a fast food cup gingerly before tossing it in the trash.

Pulling at the bandage tape Draco said, "How cheap of a rum?"

"Paint peeling cheap."

He bit his lower lip, if it wasn't for the skin altering adjustments to his body he would have avoided alcohol entirely considering what happened last time he drank. However, the increased heat building on his shoulder told him he should be doing otherwise. "Mix some Coke with the rum and that should be fine."

Pouring herself a glass of white wine she mixed his drink before handing it to him, an orange twisty straw protruding from the glass. Looking up at her from the abomination of a cocktail, she shot him a 'just for fun' smile before leaving the kitchen and walking toward her living room.

Stirring the drink with the straw he took it out and left it on the bar before following her to the other room as well. "So what do you do to pass the time while it cooks?" He said raising a suggestive eyebrow.

"Normally I would say 'read', but I've been doing paperwork since six this morning. Besides, there's usually something good on at this time of night." Hermione curled up on one side of her couch before picking up the controller and flipping on the television. "Oh good, this show should be good for you too."

On top of never cooking in his life, Draco had never actually sat down and watched more than a moment of TV. All of this was so alien to him, he was glad he had someone familiar to introduce him to it.

Occupying the couch adjacent to Hermione he sipped his drink for the next half hour in silence as he watched a spiky haired muggle in glasses explain at the most basic level how to cook a scrambled egg. It seemed condescending and overly simplistic at first, but before long Draco found himself leaning forward and paying attention to every word.

Taking a sip of his drink he coughed at the taste.

"I told you it was cheap." Hermione commented absently.

"How can you drink this stuff?" He said

She swirled her drink lazily in her hand as the enthusiastic male voice emanated from the television. "Usually its mixed with juice or lots of Coke. It taste like swill, but it helps turn off my brain so I can sleep at night every now and then." She said tracing a small scar along her neck with her finger.

As he watched her a pang of guilt crept into his chest. He had been on the side of Voldemort, albeit by force at times, but he was in the comfort of his own home. She, on the other hand, had spent the better part of a school year hiding from Death Eaters, hiding Merlin only knows where, and seeing horrors he could only imagine. There was even a time when his aunt Bellatrix held a knife to her throat and tortured her with the Cruciatus curse as he watched from his fathers side. Draco suddenly felt like the lowest of slime for not intervening.

Opening his mouth to form an apology he hadn't quite yet formed in his head, he was interrupted by the timer going off in the kitchen.

As he followed her into the other room the aroma of stewing vegetables filled his nostrils. "Smells good." He said, deciding he would apologize to her at a more appropriate time later.

Turning off the heat she gave him a small smile. "It's only half done." She said as she opened the cabinet and stretched to get something off the top shelf. As she reached her shirt lifted on one side exposing the side of her midsection.

Noticing a thin design peeking out from under the fabric Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh my Gods, does little miss innocent have some ink of her own?"

Climbing up on the counter top to reach higher, Hermione smiled to herself. "Yea, I got it about a month ago. Tammi did it for me." Finding what she needed she hopped down and placed the odd utensil on the counter before lifting her shirt up on one side to expose her design.

What first made Draco excited now only renewed his guilt. Starting at her second rib was a red ribbon held aloft by three sparrows. Along the shadow of the ribbon was cursive, elegant writing saying the words, _'For loved ones lost.'_ Lowering her shirt, Hermione turned back to the stove.

"Granger...I..."

"Not now, Malfoy." She scolded him. "I would rather not start crying in front of a rival." Swallowing hard, she resumed her cooking lesson.

"This," She said holding up an odd looking gadget as she plugged it in. "Is a stick blender." She pushed the buttons on the sides emanating a shrill buzzing noise. "Use it on low unless you want hot soup all over the place."

Dipping the blender in the soup she pulsed it for a few moments until it was reduced to a pale green sauce.

"That's it?" Draco asked.

"Almost." She said rummaging through her fridge and pulling out a carton of sour cream and a bottle of white wine. "You can use heavy cream if you want or even skim milk if you want it lite, but I like the twang of this." Turning the container upside down she spooned the contents of the container into the bubbling green. "White wine is optional, but I think it brings out some added flavor." Pulling the cork out with her teeth she topped off her own wine glass before pouring a splash into the pot as well.

Stirring the contents with a wooden spoon she lifted it out and blew before tasting. Tossing another splash of wine in she stirred it again before holding the spoon up. "Now its done." Pouring two bowls she handed him one. "Careful, its hot."

Tearing off a chunk of baguette she handed his a piece of that as well before making her way back to the living room, Crookshanks following behind her eagerly.

Gingerly holding the hot bowl, Draco followed behind, reclaiming his spot on the couch. The spiky haired muggle on the television was now showing how to whip egg whites into meringue, talking about various 'peaks'. Sitting in silence the two rivals ate and watched television for another half hour.

Hermione finished first (since Draco had returned to the kitchen for a second helping) and placed her bowl on the carpet for Crookshanks to pre-rinse. Looking at him she smirked deviously. "Alright, a deal is a deal. Pay up."

Thinking back on the terms of her lesson, he sighed heavily before saying. "You, Hermione Granger, are better than I Draco Malfoy at cooking. You food goddess." He spoke with some chagrin, but in all honesty that was the best potato leek soup he had ever had. He silently hoped she would let him take some home.

It looked like it took her some considerable effort to hide the smile tugging at her lips.

"That took a lot to say, thank you. Don't worry about the dishes, there's only the one pot anyway." Picking up a pad and pen she sucked on the end of it in thought before she began scratching out a list.

"What are you writing?" Draco asked as he scrapped the last of the soup off the bottom of the bowl.

"A list of groceries for you to pick up tomorrow afternoon."

Draco's brow furrowed. "What am I doing now?"

"If you're going to be telling people that I taught you to cook I can not have leek soup being your only skill. You're free tomorrow night I assume?"

Sadly enough he hadn't had any sort of social schedule since the war. "Yes, although my mother will want me to visit her Sunday evening."

Finishing the list she said, "Perfect, that's when I visit my family too." Tearing off the list she handed it to him. "Meet me here tomorrow at, oh say, five?"

Taking the list, he smiled. "I look forward to it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Over the next few evenings Draco met Hermione at her apartment, grocery bags in tow. Each night she taught him how to make London broil with mashed potatoes, roasted chicken and green beans, lasagna, and pork stir fry with sauteed apricots. All the while watching various shows while they ate in silence.

Despite the much reduced malice between the two of them there was still a stagnant lack of discussion other than the cooking lessons. If Granger was having the same issue he was, then she didn't know where to begin. Possibly because any chat they had in the past few years involved horrible insults and ended in hexes or a bloody nose. Granted she did have one hell of a right hook.

Whenever he tried to bring up the past, or form an apology she would change the subject or hurry him out the door, making the excuse that she had to wake up early.

It was frustrating to say the least. Draco decided to try and change that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Saturday afternoon, under threatening clouds, Draco sat on the front steps of Hermione's apartment as he absentmindedly rubbed his thrashed hands, grocery bags at his side. It seemed he had finished his work just in time as she rounded the corner and stopped in her tracks, transfixed by the massive yellow rosebush in place of the one he had unwittingly destroyed last week. "Draco, its beautiful."

Draco smiled, she had used his first name. "I did owe you one."

Looking up at him she also noticed that on each step leading up to her front door were small pots of herbs. Rosemary, thyme, tarragon, chives, basil, and mint. Grinning, Draco said. "Well you did tell me to pick up some rosemary, tarragon and thyme. The sales lady at the nursery talked me into the other ones."

She seemed at a loss for words as she gazed at her expanded garden, but when her view traveled to his hands she gasped. "Ohforgoodness sake, Malfoy! Did you rip up the old bush with no gloves?"

_'So I'm Malfoy again, already?_' He thought to himself. Looking down at his shredded, blood and soil coated palms he realized that they probably looked worse than they felt. Shrugging, he explained. "I didn't really think the whole process through considering I've never gardened outside of Herbology. It probably would have been wise to bring a shovel too, wouldn't it?"

Thunder sounded in the distance as she looked down at him with a surprised expression. "Did you plant all of it with your bare hands too?"

Dusting the soil off the front of his jeans as he stood up. "Yes, I know. Not the best decision I've ever made. I never did very well in Professor Sprout's class anyway."

Sighing to herself she picked up the grocery bags on the steps. "Well lets get you cleaned up."

Thunder rumbling again, Draco heard the pitter-pat of rain on the pavement as he entered her apartment. "Rinse your hands off, I'll get some Dittany." Said Hermione, leaving him in her kitchen while she went to her medicine cabinet. As he ran the cool water over his mangled hands he saw that the puncture and slash marks in his palms were already inflamed and red around the edges. It was a stupid mistake on his part to forget the simplest thing like 'rose bushes have thorns'. Such an absurd thing to slip his mind.

Upon reentry of the kitchen, Hermione opened a tin of dittany essence. "Give me your hand." She asked. It wasn't until she took his hand in hers did he realize that this was the first time he could remember her touching him skin to skin. (Punches notwithstanding) She didn't seem to realize it herself just yet as she examined the shallow gashes and punctures before rubbing dittany into them. Almost immediately they began to heal.

Realizing now that she must have also used the same process on his injuries the night she rescued him from a drunken assault. Which also meant she must have had his shirt off.

Heat rushing to his face he hopped she was to preoccupied to notice. Looking at his other hand she repeated the motions until the cool, healing salve had closed up all the wounds. "Thank you, by the way."

It took him a moment to figure out that she was talking about the plants. "You're welcome. I'm sorry you have to play nursemaid nearly every time we meet."

The rain beat hard against the window pains as she looked up at him. "Well if you were not so accident prone...I...wouldn't..." At a loss for words for the second time of the evening she seemed to notice a change in his expression. Slowly, Draco felt like gravity was pulling him towards her. He had only moved a few inches when there was a wall rattling BANG before the power went out, plunging them into darkness.

"Shit." Hermione cursed before she let go of his hand and reached for her wand. "_Lumos._" Pale blue light filled the kitchen as she sighed irritably. "I suppose we're not cooking tonight unless the power comes back on any time soon. How does leftovers sound?" She said stowing the groceries in the ice box.

Draco pouted slightly. As good as the meals they made in the past week had been, he was looking forward to the roasted chicken that was planned for tonight. "Have any of that soup left?" He asked.

After gathering what they wanted to eat Hermione used a heating charm to warm up both of the meals. Draco poured himself a glass of Coke and mixed it with a higher quality rum he had purchased, while she topped off a wine glass. "So what now?" He asked, sipping his soup from a large coffee mug.

She thought for a moment before asking. "Are you any good at chess?"

He smirked. "Well you'll just have to find out, wont you?"

"Alright let me get the board." She put down her stir fry and went into her living room (with her wand, leaving him in the dark for a moment) before returning with a black box. Opening it up he discovered an unusual set. The entire board and its pieces were made of clear and frosted glass. Surprisingly elegant, he thought.

While she set up the table he took his place behind the frosted pieces. "Care to make the game more exciting?"

Finished setting up the table, Hermione occupied herself behind the clear pieces. "How so?"

"Truth or Dare Chess." He said as she shot him an unenthusiastic, questioning look. "We would play it all the time in Slytherin common room. If you loose a pawn, the other player gets to ask a truth question. If you loose a character piece, you have to do a dare." She still didn't look thrilled with the idea. "But if you don't think you're good enough at the game to keep up we can just play it regular style, that's fine."

Scowling at him, Hermione placed her wand in a small vase on the table between them before saying. "You're on Malfoy." She said moving her first piece. Draco smirked. This should get her talking.

Unbeknownst to him, spending a great deal of time with Ron had taught her quite a few moves and she quickly took his first pawn. Placing the piece on the side of the board she asked him, "What do you fear most?"

He paused for a moment. She wanted to play hard ball? Alright, he'd play hard ball. "Social rejection from my piers. But that's happened already so I guess I'll have to figure out something else to be afraid of."

She sighed. "I was hoping it would be something I could poke fun at you for. Disappointing." She said sarcastically.

A few moves later he took one of her pawns. "Are you disappointed that you and Weasley didn't work out?"

Looking down at the table, she spoke more to herself then him. "I love Ron, I really do. But I want to be more in life than a baby maker. He want's lots of kids and I wanted a career. It still hurts a bit knowing he's probably getting a lot more than snogged over in Ireland, but if he's happy, I'm happy." It took her a moment to realize that she didn't quite answer his question. "So no, I'm not disappointed." She said a bit stronger, moving her bishop.

He raised an eyebrow and moved his knight. "Not the answer I expected."

Two moves later he took her rook. "Dammit." She whispered.

He considered many things for her to do, some subtle, some really really not, but in the end he went for the classic. "Strip something." Draco said as her jaw dropped. He knew she wasn't wearing any socks or shoes, so all that remained were things he could see.

Imagine his surprise when, with a few odd movements Hermione reached up the sleeve of her shirt and pulled out a pink lace bra before tossing it aside.

Now it was Draco's turn for his jaw to drop. "How did you do that?"

Hermione smirked confidently. "It's a girl secret." She said sipping her wine before moving her pawn to take one of his.

Suddenly very serious, she leaned forward and asked him. "Why, when we were captured and brought to your manor, did you not tell everyone who we were? I know for sure you recognized me when you hesitated."

He was afraid she would ask something as complicated as that. "I'm not entirely sure."

"That's not an answer."

"Well it's true. When I heard you three had been captured and they wanted me to identify you I froze. Sure being in the Dark Lord's favor would have been nice, but..." He tried to form the words coherently. "I may have bullied you three during school, but I didn't want you killed and that's what would have happened."

She paused for a moment, silent, before she looked back down and said. "Your move."

He moved his bishop without really thinking about it. "Listen, Hermione, I'm sorry about what happened. I'm sorry for not doing anything while my aunt was cursing you, for not being able to control Crabbe in the Room of Requirements, for letting Death Eaters into Hogwarts sixth year...for..."

"Draco." She said, stopping him. "I've already forgiven you for all that. Holding grudges and getting revenge only causes more pain, and I've had quite enough of that."

He paused in surprise. All this time, she had already forgiven him? "Can I apologize for one more thing?"

"If you must."

"I'm sorry for every time I ever called you Mudblood."

That seemed to hit more a chord than all of his other apologies. For a moment in the dim light, her eyes looked misty. "Forgiven." She moved another piece, casually taking his bishop. "Now you strip something." Broadsided by her request he looked down at the chess table and back to her wondering when she had snuck up on him like that. At least he still had his- "No socks, don't be cheap... Oh goodness was that the classic Malfoy snide glare? I haven't seen that in a wile." She commented as he begrudgingly pulled his white t-shirt over his head. Hermione took a sip of wine as she gave him a quick once-over. "You're tattoo's healing nicely." He rubbed it absentmindedly, feeling a little exposed at the moment.

He suddenly wished he had made an effort to tan.

"You're move." She said, taking another sip of wine.

Draco moved his remaining bishop, she moved her queen, he moved a pawn, she took his pawn with her knight.

Shit.

"Did you ever fancy someone in Gryffindor back when we were in school?"

Choking on his drink, Draco sputtered. "What?"

"Have you ever had the hots for anyone in Gryffindor?" She repeated.

Oh there had to be some way around this one. "Yes. Yes, I have." He said honestly.

"And who might that be?"

"Well that's another question, isn't it?" He said, proud of himself before taking her bishop. Hermione's grin fell. "Strip again." Her only having three remaining articles of clothing she wasn't sneaking out of it this time.

Instead of her arguing like he expected her to, she stood up and began to hike up the sides of her skirt. Draco couldn't hide his eager expression when she hooked her thumbs around the edges of her panties and pulled them down, her skirt still hiding the interesting parts. It was all Draco could do to keep his mouth shut as she held her pink lace panties between her two index fingers, before shooting them at him, slingshot style.

As they landed in his lap Hermione sat back down, victoriously, before moving her queen.

Draco wondered if she knew what she was doing to him.

Moving his queen in closer to the kill, she moved her knight up for a kill as well. Draco now had the choice between loosing a rook or a pawn come her next move. Looking up at her she grinned wickedly. "Decisions decisions." She mocked. He knew what question she would ask next, 'who in Gryffindor he had the hots for' and that secret he was going to take the the grave. If she took his rook...Moving his pawn out of harms way he prepared himself for her dare.

She pointed behind him. "Go into the fridge, and take a big shot of that cheap rum you hate so much. The dare is to keep it down."

He would rather have stripped.

Getting up he found his way blindly to the fridge before opening it and realizing he couldn't see anything. Feeling for the flask shaped bottle he finally found it on the bottom shelf and downed a big mouthful of it before he could talk himself out of it. It burned like acid going down, making him choke. "You -cough- are not allowed to b -cough- buy this stuff ever again." He said looking back at the table from his crouched position. He was sure Hermione couldn't see his expression from her seat at the table, otherwise she would have seen him grin from ear to ear, because if it wasn't for the extremely dim lighting he would have been able to see right up her skirt. Even though it was an accident, he felt almost perverted...almost. He couldn't technically see anything after all.

Forcing the grin from his face he returned to the table, still coughing lightly from the horrendous liquor. Looking at the board he kept a close eye on his pawns before debating his next move. Grinning he moved his queen to take another one of her pawns. Placing it on the side of the board he asked her, "Why are you helping me? I understand why you saved me when I was having my ass handed to me, but what about this? I know it's not just because you like having me pay for groceries."

She sipped her drink and all to calmly she responded. "Because it gives me something to look forward to. With Ron away and Harry spending all his time with Ginny, my days seem monotonous. I love my work, but...What can I say, you've grown on me. Even if you are a Slytherin prick."

He smirked, "I'll take that as a complement. It sounds a bit better than 'foul-loathsome-evil-little-cockroach'." Looking down on the board, he grinned. Moving his knight in for the king he said, "check."

Quickly, Hermione used her queen to take his knight. "I'm sorry what was that?" She said as she got up and walked back to the kitchen. As she passed him she bent down and whispered in his ear. "Loose the pants."

How did he not notice her queen?! Must be the poor lighting, he reassured himself. As he stood up to remove his pants he wobbled a bit. That horrible rum must have a massive alcohol level, he thought. Unzipping his jeans he pulled them down and slung them over the back of his chair before sitting back down.

When Hermione came back into the room she looked down at his remaining clothes. "Nice boxers. I didn't know you liked dark beer." She said commenting on the green fabric with the word Guinness written along the waistband.

As she sat down Draco considered his next move carefully.

Moving his pawn safely, it took Hermione a moment before she moved her queen. The chess pieces were low as were articles of clothing. They were taking care with there moves now.

Moving his king, Draco wondered if he was working himself into a corner. Until Hermione moved her knight right in the path of one of his pawns. Looking a few moves ahead he saw no way she could take his pawn if he took her knight. Not in the next two moves anyway. Was she getting tipsy or did she do that on purpose? Draco couldn't decide.

Taking the risk, heart pounding in his ears, he decided on his dare as he moved to take her knight. Placing the piece on the perimeter of the board she looked at him expectantly as he hesitated for a long moment.

Standing up he leaned over the table until he was inches from her face. He could feel her breath on his cheek as he whispered, "Please don't hex me." As he closed the distance and kissed her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Wooo! The plot thickens. I can see Draco in green Guinness boxers, can't you?

If you see something that needs editing, tell me.

Reviews=Love


	6. Chapter 6

***Again, if you want to know what Draco's little secret is, read my one-shot How Bizarre. If you want it to remain secret, don't. -^_^- I'm taking some fans suggestions and putting them into this chapter. Reviews help move the story along quicker people!!!

The fans gave me lemons so...

Chapter 6

If he was testing the waters, they would be boiling. Any other point in time in his life he would have found this act revolting, but after the past few week and a touch of his fathers advice, he was opening his eyes to things that he was otherwise blind to. In the case of the bookworm before him, though, he was still unsure. Despite his dare not to hex him, he half expected to be turned back into a ferret at any second.

After a few long seconds, he pulled away expecting to see a hateful glare in the dim wand light. Instead he was face to face with a look of mild surprise. Opening his mouth to ask why he wasn't a small, slinky animal yet she put a finger over his lips before he could. "You'll have to take a pawn first." She said with a small smile, and a tone he could not place.

Sitting back down he watched as she moved a pawn forward. In awkward silence they moved several times carefully before he saw an opening where he could either take her rook or pawn. She moved her rook out of harms way. Taking the small piece he asked. "Was it only my dare that kept you from hexing me?"

"No."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Nope."

Cursing himself, he made a note that he should word his questions differently in the future. She wasn't giving him any more information than he specificity asked for. "Cheeky witch." He said as she moved another pawn.

Several moves later, he was shocked to see she had left another pawn exposed. Checking for hazards, he took it. Considering his words carefully he asked her, "Are you enjoying this game? And when I mean 'game' I also am referring to the little thing you seem to be playing with me other than chess."

Thinking for a moment before she answered, she replied quite clearly. "Yes, I am. Why is it that Ron can be the only to have some fun? Who says that I can't do some things out of character? I've had expectations placed on me from day one at Hogwarts, be they 'the smart yet boring girl', the 'friend of the chosen one', or 'the filthy, little, mudblood'." When she saw his face sink she quickly interjected. "Don't worry, you were not the only one to call me that, and its lost quite a bit of its punch over the past few years." She continued with her answer. "So consider yourself a catalyst for change."

Raising his eyebrows he leaned back in his chair. "That's the kind of in depth answers I prefer." He said sipping his drink. "Your move."

Moving her knight, she looked back up at him. "No cocky retort?"

He moved a pawn. "You're not the only one who's trying to change."

She smiled before looking down at the board for a long moment. Moving her queen, she put it in the line to take one of his pawns.

Panicking a bit he looked for ways to move his pawn out of the way. If he left it there, the queen would take him, if he moved it forward, the knight would take him, and there was no pieces to take himself diagonally. He was doomed. Catching a quick chance for revenge he moved his bishop instead.

Taking his pawn she remained silent for a moment, letting him stew. He knew what she was going to ask. "What was it about this Gryffindor you fancied that turned you on?"

Swallowing hard, he knew he was doomed. Thinking back to the night in question he thought of some details he could pick out without being too obvious. He had to be honest, but that didn't mean he would have to do himself in. "They were wearing fishnet clothing, had died hair, thick eyeliner, an interesting oral piercing, and...showed off more than they usually do at the time."

Hermione looked like she knew the exact night he was referring to, but if he worded his response correctly, he was pretty sure she wasn't thinking of the person he was. Lip twitching with a hidden victory smile, he moved his bishop to take her queen. Her small smirk soon turned to a slightly fearful cringe. "You were too eager, Granger."

"Damned wand light. Where were you hiding that bishop?" She asked.

Draco pointed to the empty square the piece once occupied. "I think the queen calls for a rather good dare, don't you?" She huffed and braced herself. A rather naughty thought crossed his mind, which he pushed aside at first, but then he figured that he had already tested the waters and Granger was trying to change her image. So he went for it.

Scooting his chair away from the table he leaned back in it and tapped the top of his thighs. "How about a lap dance?"

He had expected her to look taken aback by the statement, and she did. At first. "One minute."

"Five minutes." He said, surprised at her forwardness.

"Three." She said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing her egg timer.

"Deal."

Placing the timer on the table she pointed a finger at him. "No touching?"

He grabbed the underside of his chair with both hands. "No touching."

Hesitantly, she turned around and gingerly sat on his lap before leaning into his chest. When the warm flesh of her thighs touched the tops of his he remembered that she wasn't wearing anything under her skirt. Perhaps this was a mistake, but once she started to move over him he forgot all doubts.

Slowly at first she swayed her hips, grinding lightly into him. Digging his nails into the wood under the chair he tried his best to enjoy the moment without making it too...obvious.

With what seemed to be new found confidence she started to add a hitch to her movements, putting her hands on his thighs for support. Sliding herself down in between his legs, she paused a moment before turning around and tracing her lips a hair above his skin from his belly button, up to his face, and further swaying her barely covered breasts inches from his mouth.

When did she learn how to do this? Draco asked himself as she swung her legs to either side of his legs before lowering herself to sit on his lap, facing him. As his knuckles turned white from their grasp he half expected to splinter the wood at any moment. There was no way she couldn't tell how much he was enjoying this, especially now that he could feel the heat radiating from her core through his boxers.

Gyrating on top of him she lightly traced a finger down the white scar on his chest before traveling back up and graced his pecks with her thumbs, brushing sensually over his nipples as she went. His breath hitched as she gave her hips a quick swing. A few thin millimeters of fabric was all that prevented him from what his lower body so badly desired. And she seemed to revel in that fact as she turned his chin up towards her. In the dim light he saw a trace of seduction in her eyes as she bent down and brushed his upper lip with her lower one. His arms started to tremble as she ran a thumb back over his chest as she teased his lips.

Somewhere in the background there was a slight, 'ding!' and before he realized what it signified, he found his lap empty, the brunette returning to her chair.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, he watched as she moved her knight, acting completely casual. As if she wasn't just grinding against him like a seasoned stripper.

As he scooted his chair forward and sat down in an attempt to hide his now raging hard on under the table. He noticed in the dim want light that, despite her demeanor, she couldn't hide the flush on her face. If he didn't know better, he would think that she enjoyed that almost as much as he did.

Looking back down at the board, he tried hard to concentrate, having most of the blood that should be in his brain elsewhere made it difficult.

Moving his queen, he was in position to take her knight.

She moved her bishop instead.

Frowning at her sudden reluctance to defend her pieces he took her knight. "I dare you to..." He really couldn't think of anything worse than he had already done. "Sing."

She rose an eyebrow. "Anything in particular?"

He thought a moment, he really was making this up as he went now. "Something...appropriate for drinking."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and thought for a moment. Clearing her throat she began.

Her voice was more lyrical than he thought it would be, not to mention he didn't expect an Irish brogue thrown into the mix.

"_Why spend your leisure bereft of pleasure  
A massing treasure why scrape and save?  
Why look so canny at ev'ry penny?  
You'll take no money within the grave  
Landlords and gentry with all their plenty  
Must still go empty where e'er they're bound  
So to my thinking we'd best be drinking  
Our glasses clinking and round and round_

King Solomon's glory, so famed in story  
Was far outshone by the lilies guise  
But hard winds harden both field and garden  
Pleading for pardon, the lily dies  
Life's but a bauble of toil and trouble  
The feathered arrow, once shot ne'er found  
So, lads and lasses, because life passes  
Come fill your glasses for another round"

Upon completion of her song she held her glass of wine up in a toast before downing the remains.

"How do you know a song like that?

"I was a bus girl in an Irish Pub three summers ago. They played it all the time."

"Is that where you learned to dance like that as well?"

"Nope." She said leaning over the table, exposing ample cleavage through her partially unbuttoned shirt. "That I made up as I went." She said moving her bishop in the path of his queen.

Draco raised an eyebrow before taking one of her pawns instead. "You're trying to lose now, aren't you?"

"Now I am, yes." She said, subconsciously tracing a finger over her lower lip.

"Care to call it a draw?"

"If you do."

"I think I can live with that."

With a wave of her wand, the chess set hovered a moment before haphazardly placing itself back in the box. The instant she put her wand back in the vase, they drew to each other like gravity was pulling them. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he placed his hands on her hips. For an instant they hesitated, only a breaths distance from each other before they both closed the distance and connected.

After the hotter than expected lap dance he relished the fact that he could now touch what was teasing him so badly earlier. As her mouth opened, inviting him in, he obliged noticing how she tasted like sweet wine. Her skin was hot and taut to the touch as he slipped his hands under her shirt, moving upwards slowly as to give her a chance to stop him. When she didn't he traced his thumbs around the undersides of her breasts before slowly moving up to cup them.

As he did he gasped through the kiss as her hand found its way to the bulge in his boxers. Giving him a hard pump through the fabric he moaned into her lips. '_That's it! Restraint gone!' _The voice in Draco's mind screamed as he picked Hermione up by her hips and carried her to the living room couch, her legs wrapped around his waist.

Collapsing on the padded leather he began to tug at the buttons of her shirt. Pulling the white fabric aside Draco bent down to place hot, open mouthed kisses along her collar bone before moving down to take one of her pert nipples in his mouth. Gasping, she ran her fingers roughly through his hair as he was urged to move lower.

Stopping at her hip bone he took the zipper to her skirt in his teeth before pulling it down. She giggled slightly as she looked down at him. It was a silly, seductive move, but he had to do it.

Skirt aside he wished there was a bit more light to enjoy the view. Moving back up he locked lips with her as he took her core in his hand. Brushing her most sensitive bud in circular motions with his fingers. Her moaning into his mouth was the sexiest thing he had ever heard and it took a substantial amount of concentration to keep from taking her at that moment. He continued his slow swirling motions for a moment until she was clawing at the sides of his abs. When she started thrusting up into his hand he inserted a finger as she mewed.

She was soaked. It seemed that lap dance had gotten her as worked up as it did him. Continuing to pump into her he broke the kiss and trailed kisses down her chest and abdomen again before lining himself up with the heat between her legs. He slowed his fingers for a moment as he heard her whisper. "Don't torture me."

"I'm relishing watching you squirm." He quoted her from what she said in the tattoo parlor before lowering his mouth over her sensitive bud. She gasped as he mimicked his swirling motion with his tongue as his fingers worked her insides. She was so responsive it was driving him wild. The tangy, sweetness of her core making his cock throb painfully in his boxers.

When her stomach muscles fluttered she tightened around his fingers, asking for more. Obliging he went to pull down his boxers before he was knocked backwards, falling on the carpet. Before he gathered himself, she was over him, trailing the same open mouthed kisses he did down over his abs as she pulled the elastic of his boxers down.

His member springing free she took it in her hand and gave it a few experimental pumps as Draco let out a breath he was holding. A gasp refilled his lungs with air as she took him into her mouth. As her tonsils worked his head her hands massaged his shaft. Looking down in the dim light he could see her mane of hair bob over him as he relished the best blow job he had ever received.

By the time she had a rhythm going Draco had to stop her. "You're..." He gasped. "Far too good at that."

Slowly, so he could recover a bit, he guided her back to the couch, resting her bottom just at the edge of the cushion. As he lined himself up with her entrance he gave her a final moment to object. When he felt her leg pulling him towards her he pushed forward, entering her slowly. Her inner muscles urging him on every inch.

Once he was fully in her he let her adjust for a moment before pulling back and thrusting. Hard.

She yelped at first, but made no attempt to stop him. Pulling him down into another passionate kiss their tongues intermingled as he began to thrust into her at a steady pace. A moment later she was moaning into his mouth as a growl emanated from deep in his chest.

For the moment, all of life's concerns were washed away. His fathers death, his family's fall from grace, his power and finances stripped away, everything. All this moment was, was them.

Moments later she began to writhe beneath him as she sucked on is lower lip. Draco's mind swam as her muscles contracted around him, urging him even deeper. Nearing the end himself he began to pound into her at a furious pace as she gasped his name. With a final few thrusts he shuttered. "Her..mi..one, I'm...I'm...where do you want..."

"Go ahead." She said.

It was music to his ears as he thrust hard one last time, emptying himself into her in the strongest orgasm he's ever had.

Collapsing on her chest their breathing slowly returned to normal. Draco had almost fallen asleep when he felt Hermione's fingers trace through his platinum hair.

"Is this what you intended when you started that silly Truth or Dare game?"

Lifting his head, he kissed her chest before looking up at her. "No, actually. I intended to get some conversation out of you." He said honestly.

"Well I'm not complaining if you're not."

Smirking, he commented. "I'm never going to be able to play that game again without thinking of that lap dance. I hope you realize that."

She smiled back. "So you want to play again Monday night, after work?"

Laying his head back onto her chest he whispered. "It's a date." Before drifting into a pleasant unconsciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That's not the end! I promise!

The song Hermione sang was Preab San Ol from the Tossers.

Comments make my muse happy! REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter was VERY long in coming for many reasons. Work has totally consumed my life to the point where its difficult to find time to read a few new fanfics, let alone write them. That, and my muse had completely and utterly abandoned me.

Thanks to the holiday I have a few hours to myself, and seeing the first half of HP7 in theaters last month has stoked the embers of writing a bit.

Thanks to all my fans for hanging on to this story this long...so here we go.

PS- if anyone is art inclined, I would love it if someone sketched up a tattooed, muggle-clothes-wearing Draco for me. 3

Chapter 7

It was the steady noise of running water that stirred Draco from his slumber. Peeking his eyes open in the brightly lit living room, he found himself alone on the couch, half covered with a throw blanket, with the scrappy orange cat glaring down at him from the side table. "Granger?" he spoke sleepily, but realizing she was probably in the shower he figured he would get up.

Standing up, Draco discovered his pants tossed over the back of the chair. Pulling them on he glanced back at Crookshanks, who was still burning a hole in him. "What are you looking at?" Sleepily he scanned the room, and finding no other clothes he just decided he would look for his shirt later.

Running his fingers through his now very untamed hair, the blonde thought to himself how much his image had changed in such a short amount of time. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be wearing only muggle jeans, with his arm completely tattooed, and his hair awry while standing in a mud-bloods living room. He would have thought them daft. Smirking to himself, he made his way down the hallway.

In the kitchen he found a pot of coffee already made and helped himself to a cup. As he poured the dark liquid into his mug, the events of the previous night crept back in a warm flood. Leaning into the counter his eyes went out of focus as his thoughts drifted.

He had been with his share of women before. All of which were Slytherin (and in one case Ravenclaw) girls looking to spend a night with the platinum prince. Either for the thrill of it, or just to say that they had a taste. But last night was different. He had never been with someone that he would consider his equal.

A chill ran up Draco's spine at his own admittance.

She was his equal. Perhaps even more. She was a brilliant witch, an ambitious business woman, remarkable in bed, and unlike the other women he'd been with, without emotional flaws or baggage.

He couldn't say that he loved her, primarily because it was largely a foreign emotion to him. He could, however, admit that he respected her. More so than any other female he knew from Hogwarts.

Hearing the water turn off upstairs, Draco pulled out another mug and poured a second cup of coffee. Unsure of how much sugar or cream she took he left it black for the moment. Taking a sip out of his own mug he was startled by a resounding 'CRACK', spilling some of the hot contents down his chin. Wiping the scalding liquid off his face and cursing to himself, he didn't have time turn around before he heard a familiar and irritating voice come from the foyer.

"Mione? You home?" Said the voice, and with the shuffling of boots Draco heard the intruder round the corner. Without turning around he knew without a doubt, that Ron Weasley was standing behind him. "Oh!" There was a pause. "I'm sorry mate, I didn't realize she had company." He said in a surprised, but friendly tone.

It struck Draco at that point how different he really must look, at least from behind. If the weasel didn't recognize him...yet.

"Is Hermione around?" Ron asked a bit awkwardly.

The blonde sighed to himself. This was going to be off putting and he really didn't feel like dealing with any Weasley, especially Ron. Yet a devious Malfoy grin crept to his lips as he lay his coffee on the counter before turning around to face the redhead. There was about a two second delay before the gingers face went from calm to shocked and confused. He may enjoy this unforeseen surprise yet.

"She's just getting out of the shower. I'm sure she'll be down in a moment." He said as casual and straight faced as he could muster.

The look on Ron's face was priceless. At first it seemed as though he wasn't entirely sure of what he was looking at before it cringed into confusion and rage. "What the bloody hell are you doing in Hermione's house?" He said, fists clenching.

Leaning back on the counter Draco smirked. "She invited me." He said, venom lacing his words.

"That's bollocks. Why in Merlin's name would she invite _you_."

Picking up his coffee, the blondes gray eyes darted to a pair of pink lace panties in the corner of the dining room floor before coming back up to Ron. He smirked as the weasel glanced behind him to see the lacy bundle as well.

Draco had expected an annoyed or even angry Weasley. Perhaps even a curse to be thrown his way. What he hadn't expected was to be tossed back against the refrigerator like a rag doll. "What did you do to her? I _know _you can't use magic. Did you slip her a potion? Or drugs?" He yelled at the dazed blonde.

Ron was so angry he was shaking, and all Draco saw was stars. Playing Quidditch non-stop for months had put some muscle on the already bulky ginger.

Pulling himself up by the fridge handle the two pure-bloods stood at odds with one another. "Like Granger would be foolish enough to let _anyone_ slip her _anything."_ He said angrily, shoving back the advancing Ron. "And what business is it of yours who she spends her time with? She's a big girl. She doesn't need you or your boyfriend to-"

Draco didn't have time to dodge the punch before it made contact with the bridge of his nose. He heard the 'crack' of bone before he felt it. Room spinning, he brought his hands up to his face, blood pouring out from between his fingers and down his arm.

It was then, in their most glorious moment...

"RONALD WEASLEY!"

Both men looked up to see a livid Hermione, hair still wet and draped in a dark red robe. Shoving her way past the redhead, she stood between the two men. "Move your hands." She ordered the blonde, who's nose was already turning purple at the bridge. "Your nose is broken. Hang on." Pulling her wand out of her robe pocket, she pointed it at his face. "_Episkey."_

"Ahh!" With another crack, the bones in Draco's nose were set back into place, bruising banished, and bleeding stopped. "Thanks." He said dryly.

Injury mended, she turned back to her former housemate. "What on Earth do you think you are doing?" She yelled, placing emphasis on each word.

Baffled and confused by Hermione's question, Ron struggled to answer. "I...He was...I..." He paused. "What is he doing in your house?"

"He's keeping me company! What are YOU doing in my house unannounced?" She said, poking him in the chest.

At this, Ron seemed hurt. "Mione...my team is back in town. I didn't know until last night and I just wanted to stop by and surprise you. Maybe, I don't know, take you out to lunch."

Hermione's fury diminished at Ron's statement. "Well...that's sweet of you." She frowned. "But that gives you know right to apparate in my kitchen and start a row with my company."

Ron made an off put face. "Since when is Draco Malfoy your 'company'?" His expression changed to concerned. "I hope he's not taking advantage of you."

Hermione huffed. "How do you know I'm not the one taking advantage of _him_." To this Draco couldn't help but snort-laugh. She turned to him. "You shut up, I'll deal with you in a moment." Putting on a false pout, the blonde leaned back to enjoy the rest of the show.

"So now you're fraternizing with the enemy...again?" Ron asked, glaring at Draco.

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep, calming breath. "Ron. Who I sleep with is my decision. Be it a good or a bad decision is of my own concern. I'm fairly sure you've had your bed warmed by a fan or two who had a less than admirable nature." To this Ron suddenly became very interested in his shoes. "True, Malfoy is still the cocky, pretentious, git that he was in school." Draco just shrugged. It was true. "But I've found that there's more to him than that and, believe it or not, he's learned a little bit of humility."

There was a resounding silence in the kitchen. Sighing, Hermione crossed her arms. "Give me a change to dry my hair and get dressed and I'll let you treat me to lunch. There's a new cafe I've been meaning to go to anyway."

Both men perked up to this. Ron smiled while Draco looked shocked. What was she doing?

Turning to the blonde she walked up and kissed him on the cheek. Much to both of their surprise. "We on for dinner at five o'clock?" The confused prince nodded after processing her request. "Good. Find your clothes, clean that blood off your face, and I'll write you up a list of groceries before you go." With this, she turned and marched back upstairs. "Do try not to kill each other while I get changed!" She yelled down the stairs.

For a long and very awkward moment, the two men stood in silence in the small kitchen. Draco was the first to speak.

"Well, Granger just put us in our place. Didn't she?"

Slowly Ron nodded, still glaring at the bloodied blonde. "Right...She's always been strong willed."

Smirking, Draco agreed as he pinched past the bulky ginger in search of the rest of his clothing. "Try not to talk about me too much during lunch. Alright Weasley?" He said in a mocking threat.

Arms crossed, Ron leaned against the door frame. "No guarantees."

XXXX

Well there you go my wonderful fans! Perhaps not the chapter most of you would have expected, but whats a story without a little conflict?

This story isn't quite done yet. But input from the fans always helps me motivate myself. So R&R please!


End file.
